Where good vital registration systems are in place, age-specific mortality rates are calculated by dividing recorded annual deaths in each age group by the estimated population of each age group. Otherwise, demographers make use of indirect estimation methods. The life expectancy is then calculated by applaying those rates to a fictitious group of e.g. 1000 new-borns and dividing the total number of years lived by 1000.
In many developing countries, systems for registering deaths and births do not exist or are incomplete because of deficiencies in geographic coverage and/or events record taking. Many developing countries carry out specialised household surveys that estimate vital rates by asking respondents about births and deaths in the recent past.
Estimates derived in this way are subject to errors due to inaccurate recollection by the respondents.
Data available on the CD-ROM World Population Prospect: The 2000 Revision prepared by the Population division, Dpartement of Economic and Social affairs.
http://www.un.org/esa/population/unpop.htm

Purpose:

Life expectancy and infant mortality data is the best way to asses health conditions in a country. Life expectancy is also strongly correlated with levels of development (at national and sub-national levels) because in the developing world health is heavily conditioned by the satisfaction of basic needs such as housing, nutrition, water supply, sanitation, etc.

Units:

Years

GEO Theme:

Socio-Economy

GEO Data Category:

Health

Type:

Other Documents

Subtype:

-----

Language:

English

Status:

Complete

Maintenance:

Unknown

Keywords

GEMET Theme:

Human health

Free Keywords:

Health, life expectancy, regional level

Online Reference

URL:

No reference for download

File Format:

-----

Spatial Reference

Coverage:

World

Coordinates:

North90

West -180

180 East

-90South

Region:

World

Subregion:

-----

Resolution:

Region

Temporal Reference

Covered Time:

1990-1995, 1995-2000, ..., 2045-2050

Responsability

Person:

Jaap Van Woerden

Organization:

UNEP/DEWA/GRID-Geneva

Address:

11, chemin des Anemones

Postal Code:

1219

City:

Chatelaine

State:

Geneva

Country:

Switzerland

Phone:

+41 22 917 82 94

Fax:

+41 22 917 80 29

Email:

geo@grid.unep.ch

Publisher:

UNEP/GRID

Publ. Place:

Geneva

Publ. Year:

2002

Data Source:

World Pop. Prosp.

Data Provider:

UN Pop. Div.

Copyright:

UNEP/GRID

User Constr.:

Public

Metadata Information

Person:

Gregory Giuliani

Organization:

UNEP/DEWA/GRID-Geneva

Address:

11, Chemin des Anemones

Postal Code:

1219

City:

Chatelaine

State:

Geneva

Country:

Switzerland

Phone:

+41 22 917 82 94

Fax:

+41 22 917 80 29

Email:

geo@grid.unep.ch

Date:

20020111

GIS Data Info

Projection:

-----

Min. Scale:

-----

Max. Scale

-----

Data Resol.:

-----

Data Format:

-----

Statistics Data Info

Aggregation method

Mehtod:

Weighted average

Weight factor:

Total Population

Comments:

The data is only aggregated if at least 75 % of the observations are available (i.e. % of population or % of area or % of countries) on an annual basis.
The value "-9999" corresponds to "No Data".

Interpolations/Extrapolations

Interpolations:

None

Extrapolations:

None

Method:

Other

Comments:

-----

Calculated pre 1991-1992 relative country share

Former USSR:

None

Former Yugoslavia SFR:

None

Former Czechoslovakia:

None

Former Ethiopia:

None

Comments:

-----

General comments

Country notes:

Data for Mauritius include Agalega, Rodrigues and Saint Brandon.
Data for Saint Helena include Ascension and Tristan da Cunha.
Data for China do not include Hong Kong.
Holy See refers to the Vatican City State.
Data for Australia include Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands and Norfolk Island.

Definitions:

The average number of years people would be expected to live if the current mortality conditions (I.e age specific mortality rates) prevailed throughout their lives.